The names for the 2026/27 storm season have been announced and have already gained local reactions online.

More than 40,000 names were submitted for the Met Office storms list. Now, the list has been narrowed down to use 21 suggestions made by members of the public.

Entering its twelfth year, the storm naming scheme has been helping communicate the risks of severe weather more effectively. Storms are named to raise awareness of severe weather before it hits, sending warnings to people to allow them to prepare for the risks.

For Storm Goretti in January 2026, it’s reported that 93 per cent of people within the amber warning area were aware of the warnings, and 88 per cent of them took action, such as staying in, not driving and completing their shopping earlier.

One of the finalised names on the list was Gwendolyn, which the team at Tràigh Mhòr Pony Trekking welcoming it for its connection to one of their horses.

Resharing the Met Office’s post on Facebook, the team said: “So our beautiful School Mistress Granny Gwen makes it onto the METO half of fame for named Storms.”

One commenter reacted by saying: “Hoping to meet Gwen the horse not Gwen the storm in a few weeks time.”

Of the more than 44,000 names suggested, the narrowed down list goes from family tributes to fictional characters. 

Other names on the list included Shaun, which comes as part of a collaboration with Aardman, the creators of Shaun the Sheep. One popular name joining the list was Chloe - which was voted for more than 130 times. 

All of the suggestions had sentimental meaning to those who submitted them. The name Finn was inspired by a two-year-old boy whose family described him as "wild and a force to be reckoned with", while Nicola was submitted as a tribute to a mother who has "weathered many a storm and only come out stronger".

The full list of names can be found here.